Remains Found On VRE Tracks Not Human

MANASSAS PARK, Va. (CBSDC) – The Virginia Railway Express is back up-and-running after the discovery of remains on the tracks. Those remains, WNEW has learned, were not human.

When a black bag found was found on the tracks Wednesday night within Manassas Park city limits along the VRE’s Manassas line, service slowed as police investigated the possibility of human remains.

A medical examiner confirmed Thursday the contents of the bag were not human.

Police say they had to err on the side of caution in the event that human remains were involved.

Some trains were held in place for hours; others were sent back to the nearest station.

VRE officials tried to accommodate riders, giving them the opportunity to return to the Alexandria station where they could hop on the Metro or take a cab home. Other passengers were encouraged to get off in Burke and have a friend or family member pick them up.

VRE arranged bus transportation for those unable to find an alternative method home.

“In my 11 years, we’ve never had train service disrupted because a body part was found,” a VRE official told WNEW.

VRE was notified of the suspicious package beside the tracks shortly before 6 p.m. When officials called to report the package, police said they were already on the way. Train service was halted upon discovery of the remains.

It seemed most passengers handled the disruption well.

“We have kind of a friendly crowd on the VRE,” one passenger said. “It’s not like Metro where people just stare forward and ignore you. We do a lot of chatting on the VRE.”

Another daily rider said even the additional hours added to his commute really wasn’t an issue for him.